Rise of the Hokage
by Darth Xelas
Summary: His brother left him because he wasn't strong enough...now its time to bring him back. Over coming all obstacles, Uzumaki Naruto vows to keep his promise. That is his way of the Ninja. That is the way of the future Hokage!


Rise of the Hokage

By Darth Xelas

**Summary**

Wow…just wow. I thought I wasn't going to start writing this until I was finished with Oni…meaning, I didn't think I was going to write this for another couple of years! But one day, I just found myself sitting at work, doing nothing and realized that all of my idea's come to me when I'm in an area that I'm supposed to be doing something else. It's weird, but that is the way that my writing got started…right in the middle of classes and pissing off a whole bunch of teachers. :P

So now, I will write this story, any time that I'm here at work and have finished my duties and awaiting for more. That way, I'll be doing something productive, instead of surfing the net…and give all of my fans… (Like four at this point :P) a new story to read and enjoy.

Rise of the Hokage is a fan fiction that will follow the tale of Uzumaki Naruto and how he grows to become the Hokage in my own view. Since I enjoyed the first part of Naruto so much and HATED Shippuden so far…I will start after the time skip and upon Naruto's return to Konoha.

Can't believe I'm actually writing another story…now I don't know when each story will get updated! I'll have like fifty ideas going through my head at once!

Ladies and gentlemen…I give you Rise of the Hokage.

_Italicized words are thoughts._

(Words in parentheses are translations or explanations)

**Introduction**

Haruno Sakura sat atop of the Hokage Mansion, the residence of her master and the leader of the Konoha village, Tsunade the Fifth Hokage. It was here that Sakura had spent the majority of her life for the past three years, after her comrade, Uzumaki Naruto had left to train with one of the three legendary Sannin. It was here that she had begun her new life as a determined and dedicated ninja, rather than just a burden to those around her… a burden to the love of her life.

Uchiha Sasuke, the genius of the famous rookie 9 of Konoha, had abandoned the village three years ago to train with the infamous Orochimaru…an S-class criminal whose sadistic ideals had led to an all out war between the hidden villages of the Sound and Sand against the lone Village of the Leaf…Konoha. Many did not know why such a promising warrior of the Konoha village would leave to join such a man, especially when he was worshipped as the genius of the Uchiha Clan a powerful family within Konoha's past…but it was that clan's history that explained everything.

Sasuke was the lone survivor of the Uchiha Clan after its sudden destruction at the hands of one of their own. Sasuke, swearing revenge, had spent his entire life training and had taken everything he had learned in Konoha and formed it into a dagger of hate towards the one responsible for the genocide, his brother, Uchiha Itachi. However all his efforts were in vain.

Sakura vividly remembered seeing Sasuke's beaten body after meeting his brother once again after five years. Itachi had come to take their partner, Naruto, away from the village…for purposes that Sakura was still unsure about…and Sasuke, having heard the news, had rushed to stop him. The result was Sasuke getting mentally tortured into a coma and Itachi getting away…luckily Naruto was still rescued by his present master, Jiraiya, the legendary Sannin. It was him that drove Itachi off and saved the lives of Naruto AND Sasuke.

After that, Naruto accompanied Jiraiya in his search of another Sannin…the current Hokage of the Village, Tsunade. It was in that meeting that Tsunade, who had previously decided to leave Konoha, decided to return to the village and uphold the Will of Fire by becoming the next Hokage. Upon her return, Tsunade went about healing all of those injured in the short war between the villages, including Sasuke. Unfortunately, Sasuke awoke a changed man.

Sakura frowned as she remembered Sasuke's awakening. His blank stare for hours had slowly shifted to rage…then what caused everything to fall apart, was his duel with Naruto. For as long as she had known them, Sakura had witnessed how far their rivalry had gone…but at the time, she had no idea.

After awakening, Sasuke had challenged Naruto to a fight, to finally see who was the strongest and to put an end to what Sasuke called, a "pathetic" rivalry. Angered by his words, Naruto had accepted the duel and atop the roof top the two battled. Never before had Sakura witnessed such a brawl…so filled with intensity and rage…so much that she couldn't stand to watch. That was when she once again did something useless and had jumped in the middle of their fight, in the middle of the two's strongest jutsu's. Then it was the only thing she could do…now, Sakura knew that she came within an inch of losing her life.

After that, everything else was easy to describe…a failure. Kakashi, the team's sensei, had failed to convince Sasuke that revenge was not the way…Sakura had failed to stop Sasuke from leaving the village…and Naruto failed to bring him back once he had gone. They had all tried and they had all failed. And it was all thanks to Uchiha Itachi.

Sakura clenched her fist as she thought about that man. Everything he had done had led Sasuke into a pit of hell for his entire life…the killing of his clan, the merciless beatings…and the mental tortures he had put on Sasuke had taken their toll. All Sasuke could ever think about was that he was weaker than everyone else…when in truth he was growing stronger by the second. He always had wondered how and why Naruto, the dead last of the academy, had grown so strong due to their rivalry and the answer was right in his face. It was because Sasuke was already strong…and it had inspired and pushed Naruto to a point that no one else was willing to go to. But Sasuke hadn't seen it that way.

Sasuke saw himself as a pathetic kid when his brother had returned and even worse when he couldn't beat the person that he had attempted to save in the first place. Instead of seeing his own progression, he only saw the difference between him and his brother…and that was all that mattered. So he left to go to the only person that could make him stronger without setting any boundaries…The last and strongest Legendary Sannin…Orochimaru.

Sakura had cried for days after seeing Naruto return, beaten to near death by an enraged and disillusioned Sasuke. In that entire affair, she had done nothing but cry, which only made her cry more. Sasuke, the one person she had ever loved had willingly gone to Orochimaru, a man who only wanted him to gain immortality, and she could do nothing to stop him. Nothing but cry.

_That's why he left us…_thought Sakura as the sun set completely and threw the world into an eerie darkness. _He left because we were weak…because we weren't strong enough to stop him from doing so._ Sakura looked down at her hands, her pink; shoulder length hair fell before her face, blocking the view of her green eyes. Once her hands were soft and petite…perfectly cared for to remain as beautiful as possible for her love. But now they were rough and strong…because that was what it would take to bring him back.

Standing, Sakura looked over the village she had called home for her entire life. Everyone had suffered in the past years and yet they had all found the strength to move on. She hadn't cried since the day Naruto had left…for she had made him a promise. Next time, he wouldn't be saving Sasuke alone. Next time, they would go together and **kill** anyone who stood in their way.

Sakura smiled as the moon became visible. _For that's your ninja way isn't Naruto? To never go back on your word. _With the thought of her companion in her mind, Sakura leapt off the mansion and made her way to her house. Little did she know that the person on her mind was less than a day away. And he was ready to keep his promise.


End file.
